*Scripture: Judges 3:7-31 (NKJV)* 7 So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. 8 Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim eight years. 9 When the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the LORD delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest for forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. 13 Then he gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, went and defeated Israel, and took possession of the City of Palms. 14 So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. 15 But when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them: Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man. By him the children of Israel sent tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a dagger (it was double-edged and a cubit in length) and fastened it under his clothes on his right thigh. 17 So he brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. (Now Eglon was a very fat man.) 18 And when he had finished presenting the tribute, he sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the stone images that were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” He said, “Keep silence!” And all who attended him went out from him. 20 And Ehud came to him (now he was sitting upstairs in his cool private chamber). Then Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” So he arose from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached with his left hand, took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 Even the hilt went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade, for he did not draw the dagger out of his belly; and his entrails came out. 23 Then Ehud went out through the porch and shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 24 When he had gone out, Eglon’s servants came to look, and to their surprise, the doors of the upper room were locked. So they said, “He is probably attending to his needs in the cool chamber.” 25 So they waited till they were embarrassed, and still he had not opened the doors of the upper room. Therefore they took the key and opened them. And there was their master, fallen dead on the floor. 26 But Ehud had escaped while they delayed, and passed beyond the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 And it happened, when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the mountains of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mountains; and he led them. 28 Then he said to them, “Follow me, for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they went down after him, seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over. 29 And at that time they killed about ten thousand men of Moab, all stout men of valor; not a man escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest for eighty years. 31 After him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel. *Devotion* God uses the most unlikely people. In today’s reading we have Othniel, known as the younger brother of Caleb; the left-handed Ehud; and the foreigner Shamgar, whose weapon of choice was an ox goad. And yet through Othniel, God provided 40 years of rest. Through Ehud, God provided 80 years of rest. In our sinfulness, we often shirk our duties because we don’t consider our God-given calling to be that important. The pastor might say, “I would spend more time writing my sermon if I had a big congregation.” A mother might lazily goof off and say, “I’m just a housewife and a mother.” Rather than do our vocation, we question God’s wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:18 warns us, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.” Out of thankfulness for our salvation in Jesus Christ, our duty is to be faithful in our calling. Give thanks that God has given us His command in the divine estates of pastor, hearer, father, mother, son, daughter, civil authority, citizen, etc. so that we know what we are to do. Ask God for humility to see our unworthiness and yet trusting in God’s goodness do our work diligently and faithfully. God used these unworthy judges to provide, as He strengthened them for the task He gave them to do. With the wisdom that we are forgiven through Christ, do good to your neighbor wherever God has placed you. Rev. Dcn. Jerry Dulas, as eCourier of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
_______________________________________________ Sermons mailing list [email protected] http://cat41.org/mailman/listinfo/sermons
